Winter storms could bring 8 feet of snow to parts of California

A pair of powerful Pacific storms are expected to bring multiple days of heavy snow to California’s mountains, starting on Sunday and lasting into the week. Forecasters said as much as 8 feet of accumulated snow was possible through Wednesday.

The greatest impact is expected across Northern California, particularly in the Coastal Range near Shasta County and throughout the southern Cascades. In these areas, forecasters said, snowfall totals over three days could reach 4 to 8 feet at higher elevations, while up to a foot may fall at lower elevations.

The Shasta County Sheriff’s Office urged residents to prepare for the storm. “It has seemed ‘spring-like’ for a large part of 2026, but winter is set to show it’s not quite done yet,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement posted to social media.

Farther south and east in areas around Lake Tahoe and Mono County, the Reno, Nevada, office of the National Weather Service said 3 to 5 feet was possible in the higher Sierra valleys and 1 to 3 feet in lower valleys. Up to 6 inches is expected in the lower valleys of northeast California.

According to the Weather Prediction Center, snow is expected to begin Sunday night, initially falling above 5,000 feet across the Siskiyou Mountains, Mount Shasta area and the Salmon Mountains, with up to 2 feet of accumulation possible by Sunday night.

Conditions are expected to intensify by Monday, as snowfall expands into the Sierra Nevada.

Heavy snowfall and strong wind gusts could make travel through parts of the state impossible, said Ashton Robinson Cook, a meteorologist with the prediction center. He warned of especially treacherous conditions along the Sierra’s western slopes.

“The biggest concern is actually some of the roads up in that area – they’re going to be impassable,” Robinson Cook said. Road closures and travel delays were likely, he added.

Winter storm warnings for an area stretching from southwest Oregon to parts of Southern California will come into effect beginning Sunday evening, with the weather service warning of “dangerous to near impossible travel conditions” in some parts.

Anyone forced to travel, the weather service said, should keep an extra flashlight, food and water in their vehicle for emergencies

A second storm arriving Tuesday is expected to bring additional heavy snow across most of California’s mountains.

By Wednesday, many areas above 5,000 feet could accumulate several feet of snow, with the chance of more than 30 inches in the Interstate 80 pass area.

Forecasters said the snow was expected to fall at a rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour in many areas, with even heavier bursts in parts of the Sierra Nevada. Other mountain ranges, including the Traverse ranges, could have heavy snow at higher elevations.

The highest snowfall rates were expected Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening. Strong winds are expected to be an added hazard. Forecasters said gusts more than 100 mph were expected along ridge tops, and valleys could experience gusts up to 45 mph.

Combined with heavy snowfall, near-zero visibility is expected at times, especially in the Sierra Nevada.

Winter storm warnings were in effect across areas of Northern and Central California from Sunday evening through Wednesday evening.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.